Fidget Spinners Are Catching Fire, Choking Children

11 August 2017

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a fidget spinner safety guidance to help consumers understand the ways in which the product can be harmful.

22tomtom / DreamstimeThe fidget spinner: harmless fad that suffered a cultural backlash nearly as soon as we became aware they existed? Most notably, manufacturers have begun creating Bluetooth-equipped fidget spinners that can be connected to a smartphone to monitor spin rates and such.

"Keep them from small children; the plastic and metal spinners can break and release small pieces that can be a choking hazard; and older children should not put fidget spinners in their mouths", Ann Marie Buerkle, acting chief of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, said in a statement.

As we've previously reported, fidget spinners have evolved from their modest designs with mechanical parts to include internal batteries that power bluetooth speakers, lights, and other features.

To this end, the CPSC issued several tips meant to prevent such incidents, as well as reduce the chance that younger users could choke on the toys' parts. According to the statement, fidget spinners may pose a risk of both explosions and choking in young children.

As for battery-operated fidget spinners, the CPSC says it is important to use the charging cable that either comes with the fidget spinner or one that has the correct connections for the device as charging cables are not interchangeable.